SECRETARY-GENERAL ANNOUNCES $35 MILLION ALLOCATION TO SUPPORT SIERRA LEONE

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General has announced that an allocation of $35 million will be made from the Peacebuilding Fund in support of Sierra Leone.  The Peacebuilding Fund is funded through voluntary contributions, seeks to address critical peacebuilding priorities identified jointly by the Government and the United Nations and was created in late 2006 as part of the new peacebuilding architecture.  It will benefit countries before the Peacebuilding Commission, as well as others in similar circumstances, as designated by the Secretary-General.

This is the second such allocation made under the Peacebuilding Fund, following an earlier one in support of Burundi, the other country currently under consideration by the Peacebuilding Commission.  The allocation will now be used in Sierra Leone to fund projects in the areas of youth employment, democracy and good governance, justice and security, as well as public service delivery.

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For information media • not an official record